<VV> Emergency Car Care Kit (LONG)

[Mike Stillwell]

 Hey Bryan,

 Didn't I give you a fan belt at an autocross up at
Fort Mead one time, after your's broke? 

 Mike
 YS-117

 
--- Bryan Blackwell <bryan@skiblack.com> wrote:

> I *have* thought about this quite a bit.  My
> experience is that 
> carrying stuff around invites laziness in
> maintenance, which simply 
> leads to more breakdowns.  When I stopped carrying
> tools on a regular 
> basis, my reliability went way up.  Do the work in
> the driveway.  Check 
> your fluids once a week.  Drive the car once a week
> to keep it loose.  
> I have found that there are *very* few things that
> break with no 
> warning that also leave you completely stranded. 
> Use that warning to 
> get to a better place for the car to break.  If it
> still runs when you 
> get there, park it anyway and fix it.
> 
> Now, on a trip that's a different matter, I do
> usually carry some tools 
> and a fan belt especially if I'm autocrossing (I
> did, after all, 
> collect all that info and put it on a web page). 
> Again, my experience 
> is that I need parts anyway, so the phone, roster,
> and credit card get 
> it done.  In the day of FedEx, why carry a bunch of
> parts when the one 
> you may well need you'll have to buy anyway?  Stew
> MacLeod broke a diff 
> case last year, who's going to carry one of those? 
> You got a spare 
> yoke and halfshaft?  I've needed those.  If you are
> satisfied with the 
> reliability of your fuel pump (for example), don't
> worry about it.  If 
> you're not, get something better.
> 
> If the car breaks, walk to a restaurant, call a
> friend and invite them 
> out for dinner, then get a ride back home, pick up
> the correct supplies 
> and tools, then fix it at your leisure.  If your car
> is breaking more 
> often than once a year, you need better maintenance.
>  If you don't know 
> anybody who'll rescue you once a year, you need
> better friends :-)
> 
> One caveat to all this - I live in a densely
> populated metro area, so 
> it's not like I'm going to be stranded 50 miles away
> from home in my 
> regular commute.  However, I think that all the
> discussion of what 
> needs to be carried around is somewhat self
> defeating.
> 
> As for terrorists and methHeads, I'd propose that a
> well maintained 
> vehicle is your best choice.  Any other planning for
> them belongs on 
> VV-Talk :-)
> 
> On Wednesday, July 28, 2004, at 10:11 AM, Delta Inc
> wrote:
> 
> Bryan Blackwell bryan@skiblack.com



		
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